I (gulp) had to go gluten-free recently. Although I pleaded with my doctor (No, it's so inconvenient! And it's expensive! And it's bougie! And it means no grilled cheese!!) she gave me a stern but serious glare of, "I'm not kidding." Gluten intolerance was causing auto-immune, lymph, glycemic, and other problems, that, given my family's cancer history, simply needed fixing.

Gwenyth Paltrow recently took a bunch of ish for writing about this very diet/lifestyle, which inspired her new cookbook, It's All Good. Critics have railed how expensive her recipes are. After all, it's costly to eat outside of the American agro-industrial complex, as the market is priced to keep us buying the very foods that make us sick.

But going gluten-free has been easier in Brazil! It's been much easier and cheaper than it would be in the States, because most grains and carbohydrates are indigenous, and not wheat based. (For a good read about eating indigenous for optimum health, check out my homegirl Sofia's blog here.) Lunch always includes rice and beans, and you can vary your breakfast and dinner with other yummy grains.

So for those who can't afford to get their goop at Whole Foods, here are some tasty examples of gluten-free comida:

Acai com Banana (acai fruit with banana)

Arroz e Feijao (rice and beans)

Pamonha (tamale-like corn cake)

Mandioca (yucca)

Bolo de Fuba (corn cake made with rice flour)

So if you want to gluten-free in the States, eat Latino style! You can buy all of these foods at places like Food for Less. (Trust me, I used to work there.)